Although they’re far from the most popular or obvious segment, mechanical jumping-hour timepieces have enjoyed a quiet resurgence in recent years. Alongside a handful of high-end offerings from major brands, this once-exotic complication has become a favorite of independent manufacturers aiming to add an attainable yet unorthodox complication to the lineup. Recently revived Swiss brand Amida built its enthusiast reputation on jumping-hour timepieces and, as part of its initial suite of revived offerings, the brand has resurrected its wildest and most famous jump-hour design of all: the Digitrend. The new Amida Digitrend blends gloriously funky ‘70s futurism with impressively refined finishing, creating a true statement watch that’s more than just a novelty.

Available in either bare stainless steel, black DLC, or 4N gold PVD, the Amida Digitrend’s 39.6mm case is a far cry from the standard watch case layout. At first glance, this streamlined form looks more like a seatbelt buckle or a river pebble than a traditional timepiece, but this smooth, rounded-square form carries a wealth of personality. Our review sample arrived with the gold PVD finish, sporting a warm, masculine hue halfway between traditional yellow gold and more commonplace 5N rose gold. Both the flowing upper surface and the case sides are fully brushed for a sleek, refined look that highlights the compound curvature of this case. Rather than a traditional dial and crystal at the top of the case, the Digitrend uses a driver’s watch-style layout with a smaller sapphire display window along the 6 o’clock case side. Amida immediately draws focus to this display on the wrist with an asymmetric, flared form, as well as a mirror-polished surrounding “bezel.” This side-view display takes some serious acclimating to, and for the first several days of wear it’s more than likely the wearer will reflexively rotate their wrist, stare blankly at a brushed metal panel for a moment, and then adjust to the 90-degree viewing angle. The display caseback is similarly unorthodox, with a cutout sapphire display window framing the balance bridge (it’s worth noting that this is a first-run variant of the Digitrend, and subsequent models will have a wider but still asymmetrical display window). Given the unusual form here, the Amida Digitrend is far from the standard conception of a sports watch, and the lightweight 50-meter water resistance rating bears this out.

Strictly speaking, what’s visible through the Amida Digitrend’s sapphire crystal is not a cohesive dial. Most of the narrow, lozenge-like aperture is actually printed on the back side of the unique prism-shaped, reflective crystal, including the main black “dial surface,” the dial text, and the hour and minute window surrounds. Meanwhile, the jumping hours and rotating minutes displays are printed on disks mounted atop the conventionally oriented movements and are mirrored and projected through the crystal through an effect similar to the classic Pepper’s ghost illusion. In practice, this exotic arrangement works seamlessly, echoing the look and feel of a classic pre-LCD digital clock. The hours and minutes displays themselves are every bit as punchy and retro-futuristic as the surrounding case, with angular, slanted ‘70s sci-fi numerals in a blazing signal-orange. This combination leads to an extremely legible display on the wrist (despite it being maddeningly difficult to accurately photograph), with a clear, intuitive presentation of the time. That said, a running-seconds display between the two existing apertures would be a welcome, functional addition for the future.

Amida powers the new Digitrend with a modified Soprod Newton P092 automatic movement. Beyond some crisp Côtes de Genève across the bridges, the P092’s finishing is rather basic, and its 44-hour power reserve and 28,800 bph beat rate are both relatively middle-of-the-road as well. Where this P092 differentiates itself, though, is its in-house jump hour module. In order to accommodate the Digitrend’s prismatic, disk-based jump hour display, Amida developed this module from the ground up, using an elegantly simple system of nine components and six screws.

To complete the watch, Amida pairs the Digitrend with a smooth, handsomely finished single-link bracelet. It’s a design that fits the sleek, ‘70s science fiction style of the Digitrend well, while also standing as a respectable showcase for the brand’s finishing work. Each of the tapering brushed links is softly chamfered for a more streamlined feel, and in between each main link is a recessed polished bar. These polished elements give the overall design a welcome pop of brightwork and refinement on the wrist, without overpowering the rest of the design. The two-button butterfly clasp ends in a raised Amida emblem for a seamless, elevated look. An Alcantara strap option is also available but was not included with our review model.

The current watch market offers a surprisingly deep roster of jumping-hour timepieces, ranging from the simple to the truly exotic. Amid this wide and varied field, though, few if any current jumping hour offerings can match the blend of value, build quality, and sheer retro spectacle presented by the Amida Digitrend. While its unorthodox layout and wild ‘70s looks certainly won’t suit all tastes, this is a genuinely impressive showpiece in its market segment. The Amida Digitrend is available now through authorized dealers. MSRP for the Amida Digitrend starts at $3,500 USD ($4,620 USD as tested with the bracelet and gold PVD). For more information, please visit the Amida website.